Viper felt better this day after the headache from the last day.
Since they entered this place she got a bit uncomfortable overall, especially after she saw the dragon.
Her body didn't digested everything very well and she grew tired very quickly.
At the discussion on what to do next, she was able listen what they were saying but she didn't say much herself. It was mostly Tigress who was leading the conversation and Viper once again was so glad having her here. She wouldn't know what to do without her. Probably leaving. The amount of stress would have been too much for her alone with Crane and Mantis. But this morning she started to feel good again.
Her mind was clear and calm like before.
So at the end of the discussion they decided to stay here and continue with caution. She just hoped it was no mistake.
She has been very close to death a lot of times at this point and it was always Po who saved them.
But really each time since he joined.
Tai Lung could have been able to but he spared them. Shen spared them. Kai spared them. And these were just a few examples.
She even claims she defeated Fu Xi but in the end, Po helped her.
And this time he wasn't here. She could only rely on Tigress, Crane and Mantis. Not even Monkey was here and making it worse, she had to keep an eye on one person who she was not able to judge about what he was able to do.
She sighed and took a deep breath when she arrived at the outside.
"Good morning," Mantis greeted her.
He was already up and preparing some food. She couldn't remember when Mantis grew into this entire cooking thing but apparently he was at this point taking care of the entire well being of everyone here.
Usually Po was a good cook and took care of that but… well, but he wasn't here again.
She smiled at him and greeted back: "Good morning, Mantis. Did you sleep well?"
"I'm well, Thanks. I was about to ask you the same thing. You seemed a bit distracted yesterday," he answered and handed her a portion of the food.
She breathed in and said: "Yeah… a little bit. But I'm completely fine now, no need to worry, thanks. I probably just needed a bit of a sleep. Say, you're getting a cook these days?"
He looked at her and said: "Well, someone has to, right? When Po isn't here. But I've learned a thing or two from him so… shouldn't be all that bad. After all, we all know his secret ingredient. Can't be that hard to copy."
She chuckled: "But please do not put too much from it into the food. I want to eat at least something at the end. Preferably it should taste good if you could manage."
He jerked with one antenna and said: "Yeah, yeah. Everyone's a critic. The good news is, nobody is going to complain. It's not like the next restaurant is behind the next corner or something."
"Actually there is," Yong, Viper just realised sitting on a bit of a broken porch roof over them, said and was probably listening the entire time.
She was whittling a tiny piece of wood during the conversation: "At least that's what it looks like. But I would not suggest ordering there. The service is miserable and the food quality questionable"
Viper did not really recall for a moment why Yong was coming with them again. She never really talked to her but it seemed like she had something to do with Shiren.
"Yong, was it?" Viper asked.
Yong stopped whittling and looked at her."At your service, masters. I'm sorry if I interrupted your conversation, I just remembered there being an ancient inn. After all, that's what I'm here for. Checking the surroundings and remember interesting things."
Viper smiled gently. "Ah, right. So, anything special on our way?" she asked to start a little friendly chat. After all she did not know a lot about Yong yet, as well as the professor. Like, she did not know their motives besides exploring.
Yong looked down to them and seemed to wonder for a bit. Like she wasn't sure how to respond or what to say to them.
"Eh..." she started saying: "Well, besides what I just mentioned… a whole lot of what we've already seen so far. Of course it changes in variety and each house has different cracks, purposes and so on. So in total there is no real thread or trap, no ancient notes or diaries… When I started searching I was expecting some but I haven't found a single one besides some unstable bridges and pillars. Seems like this is truly just like an abandoned temple. On the top of where we are, a few levels higher, there is actually a beautiful garden, like, more beautiful than this down there. We kinda have to pass it in the long term anyway because it contains a bridge we might want to use aaaaand I guess up is where we go, right?"
Viper smiled and said gently: "Okay, that's enough, stop, thank you. Tigress wasn't kidding when she said you do your job."
"After all, that's what I was always paid for. Chatting was never my strength, I have to apologise," Yong said and slowly and carefully made her way down to them to have proper eye contact.
Mantis said: "You seem a lot more open for a non chatting employee. I've seen worse. You know, there was once this bunny I was supposed to escort. You can't imagine how lonely the travel felt."
Viper said to Yong: "It's alright. So you're here to make sure we do not run into danger? But isn't that was Crane is doing?"
Yong responded: "Well, he is checking the air and since today he is more looking for a big moving creature. I've heard you were originally the one scouting the ground but it turned out you are a bit occupied."
Viper went a bit embarrassed when Yong mentioned her being the ground scout and said smilingly: "Oh, that's not really the case. You know, it wasn't my preferable job to do honestly. I'm just glad I do not have to do it this time. I can back you up if you need to though." She knew it was silly asking for another job since she was actually very good at scouting at the ground usually but that did not mean she enjoyed it so she was glad someone else volunteered to do this job.
Yong wondered for a bit but then answered:"Oh, thanks, master, but I guess-"
Viper interrupted her shortly: "Please, call me Viper. And I'm sure you can call him just Mantis, right?" she said and turned to Mantis who didn't say a word. He fiercely looked at them while again jerked with one antenna. Normally Viper was used to be called by her ranking and then her name but on this excursion she wanted to be called just by her name from the people she worked with. There were no reasons for that high formalities here.
Yong nodded slightly with an of course – view and continued: "Well then: I guess I'm not the one to tell. It can't hurt having four eyes which, they say, see more than just two. So go as you please. I'm trusting your judgement."
"Hey, Mantis," Viper turned to mantis and switched the topic quickly: "Did you hear anything from what Tigress and the Professor were doing? Like any new wisdom spread around this place or something?" she asked. It was the next thing coming in her mind since she did not spent as much time with Tigress as she would have liked to.
Mantis looked up to her and stopped his cooking. That could have meant it was finished by this point. She trusted him to not mess it up.
He shrugged: "Turns out this wolf professor knows a lot about how to interpret paintings.
From what we have seen here he is trying to figure out how this city was organised and structured. I've got the feeling he has a plan here. Well, honestly that's what you could expect from an archaeologist. Tigress on the other hand mostly just keeps her eye on everything. I don't know but it seems like she doesn't know a lot about those things. Archaeology, studying lost cultures… She went even more careful since you two showed up yesterday."
The dragon… Viper thought. It was still wrong for her to stay here but she understood Tigress' decision. Not having all the five of them and not Po here was making her feeling more unwell each day they were on this expedition. Something else was wrong but she couldn't figure out what it was. Surprisingly it was not Shiren who worried her this time.
"Everything alright?" Yong asked.
Viper turned to her and smiled gently: "Yes, thank you."
"May I ask you a question?" Yong asked and sat down on a broken part of the wall.
Viper wondered: "Yeah, sure. What is it?"
"The dragon," Yong said folded her hands before her snoot. "I did never see a dragon in my life and when we meet it, I want to know what to expect. Can you tell me about the dragon you have seen once?"
Viper hesitated for a moment before she answered: "Well… it's not something I'd like to talk about acutally," she said but then decided to tell her the story as much as she needed to: "It disguised itself like an old pig when it came to us. It made Po doing something… I do not quite remember what it was… but it made the pig growing back into a dragon again.
Disgusted by that Shifu banned Po for what he did and sacrificed himself. The dragon was seeking for the blood of the dragon warrior."
"But Shifu was not the dragon warrior, was he?" Yong asked.
"No, he was not. He tricked the dragon. That's why he actually banned Po, to get him to run as far as possible. He did not ban him because he was actually disgusted by him."
"Well, honestly, I think a part of him did," Mantis commented.
Viper shortly looked at him. "… However, he made the dragon making a device which it needed for it's ritual and bought some time. It destroyed the Jade-Palace in the process."
"The Jade-Palace?" Yong wondered.
"Yes!" Viper said out of patience but still having a smile on her face: "Please stop interrupting me. I will come to that point:
Turns out the Jade-Palace was built on a very special hill and the dragon needed to get rid of the palace which stood in it's way. You already know Shifu and Po are alive currently and that's thanks to Po who came back to save Shifu. Long story short: He fought the dragon and defeated it. With that he saved our village once more." Viper ended her story.
"Yeah," Mantis said: "Destroying the Jade-Palace seems to become some kind of hobby. It's ridiculous how often times it got destroyed now if you really think about it. When it gets destroyed once more I vote for it to be rebuild on the underground next time."
"The destruction Kai brought over it wasn't as bad as when the dragon came there." Viper said to him.
"Okay, I think I got it," Yong said: "That's why you want to avoid them. Alright, when I see it, I will be careful with what I do and say. Even if it's just a stranger."
Viper nodded gratefully: "Thank you. We can't be careful enough."
"A stranger…" Mantis mumbled: "Like this guard we have seen?"
"It's possible," Viper admitted: "In that case I hope it did not lead us into it's trap."
"I don't think so," Yong said: "It asked for a special person. Without Shiren I suppose we would have never entered this place."
"Oh, right, I completely forgot about that," Mantis said. Everyone silenced for a while.
Viper tried to connect some clues they had to get to some suggestions but there was just nothing she could think of. The guard could have been a dragon but what would have been it's goal? Why would it not directly talk to them and why did it needed Shiren to enter?
"Viper, am I allowed to ask you something? As a snake yourself?" Yong broke the silence.
"Me?" Viper asked perplexedly: "Eh… what is it?"
"I have talked to Shiren last night. According to his statement it should be next to impossible to live as a snake. No offence but I just want to hear your opinion on that since you seem, let's say, more healthy when it comes to psyche," she asked.
Viper shook her head and gently said: "It's fine. No, it's actually fine. I don't know what's wrong with that guy actually. I think it's more his appearance than his species. Have you seen his scars and wounds? That would scare me as well if I would be a commoner."
"Yeah," Yong nodded and nodded: "You're probably right. I just try to get into what is actually going on with you. You two seem to have very different opinions on things."
Viper sighed. "Yes, we have. I've tried to talk to him yesterday and he said very clearly what he thinks about it. There is nothing we have to talk about any more. I just hope he is considering his actions again."
"… When do we depart today? Like after breakfast I suppose?" Yong asked.
"Sounds reasonable," Mantis said.
Then Yong turned to Viper again and asked: "Before we do that, I have one last question though."
"Here it comes…" Mantis said.
Without reacting to him, Yong asked: "You said your family told you to not come here and keep this place as a secret. Since we are already here, I want to know at least why that is so. Like, is there some kind of myth we should be aware of? Some legend we might not want to step into?"
Viper thought for a moment to choose her words. It was a strange question she did not expect.
"Eh, I can assure you it's nothing you should be aware of. Otherwise I would have told you as much and especially never let you even enter this place, No, it's more about the history, culture and stuff. Yes, I am here now but I'm just trying to keep things as calm as possible and… Uneasy situation. So he, yeah. You don't need to worry about anything. And I need to believe we're doing the right thing here."
"Ah, you're here," the professor came to the hole from the broken wall. "I apologise, I was just heard someone talking over here."
Viper saw at this well dressed wolf. She somehow disliked his calm and gentle appearance. He acted like this place did nothing so far that caught him off guard. He even appeared like he knew what was going to happen and everything was just according to plan, as if he kept something in secret.
But then again, it was literally what happened. He was here now and that was everything he wanted. "Oh, it's alright. Now that you're awake we can plan our depart. After all we should depart as soon as possible," she said gently.
He slightly nodded and said: "Of course. I can't wait to see more of this place. I've heard we should be able to go on top of this pillar today."
Yong uttered: "Should be doable. We need to pass this area anyway in order to go any further. But you are aware of this dragon, right?"
The professor agreed: "How could I not? But when we are going to stay in this land and keep exploring, we might just also go a bit quicker and avoid putting us into avoidable danger."
Viper listened to his words and could not resist to wonder: "May I ask what you are hoping to find?" she asked. He wanted to go way to quick further and further for her like, like all of this around them doesn't even interest him.
He nodded and answered gently: "Of course you can. I seek to find maybe some archives or other clues about this land. I want to learn from it and teach it's lessons so the world can learn from it. What you see here should not happen again, won't you agree?"
"You might have a point there," she agreed and looked around, watched the cracked, yet intact structures, the signs of battle and of a former beauty in this world. "Whatever happened here must not happen again anywhere. All the villagers are gone but their legacy still has to be here. Something for us to witness."
She tried to think of where they could find those clues he sought for. If they ever even existed.
Mantis finished his cooking task and said: "I just do not hope these messages aren't within these weird anomalies Shiren experienced yesterday. In that case we might could have a problem."
"That would be… very unfortunate," Yong said: "Since he claims to say he doesn't remember a thing. And I still do not understand how he saw something nobody else was able to see."
"It could be related to the words of the guard who allowed Shiren and his followers to enter. Seems like he detected some strong Chi inside him. That's an interesting topic to look into as well," the professor said.
"Or just the fitting one. Whatever the case, we should continue very soon," Viper decided and grew impatient to move out.
The professor turned to her and said: "You're absolutely right. I am going to talk to him. Oh, Do you know where he is?"
"Isn't he sitting next to a window in thid hall?" Mantis asked. "That's where I've seen him."
"A window? I am afraid haven't seen him on any there. Maybe he is with Tigress?"
"Tigress is meditating," Viper said. An unwell feeling came up in her and she had a bad feeling she had to go on babysitting duty again if no one else would do.
In the next moment Crane was coming along, saying: "It's okay, Guys. He is down in the garden, speaking to this wolf guard from yesterday. He said you don't have to wait for him and he will catch up once he is coming back and will be careful of any anomalies or any other obstacles."
"Crane," the professor said: "You have seen a lot on your flies around this whole area, haven't you? I want you to describe me some of the overall architecture of this place, to have a better understanding if you don't mind."
"Eh…" Crane seemed a bit perplexed but he agreed and they both went inside. "Sure."
Viper turned to Mantis and said: "Go and say Tigress that we are ready to depart. Hey, Yong, how about we both are going to scout a bit the area? I would like discovering the upper levels myself once or twice as I see everything here is under control."
Mantis jumped down to the ground and said: "Of course it's me who got to be the massager. Alright. Take some of this with you for the run and eat it before it gets cold. Now if you excuse me," he said and left them both alone.
Yong looked at Viper and said: "Eh, sure. I assume you are professional at this so I will just leave you to whatever you want. But I bet Tigress would want to know where to look when you do not respond after a few hours. Splitting from the others to investigate the area is a very dangerous and risky task. But you surely know that stuff already."
Viper giggled. Yes, I do. But thank you."
Viper enjoyed some time alone. Collecting some thoughts while not having to take care of something. She did not believe in any traps in here besides the instability of some structures Yong already mentioned.
She has never seen such a place before. It was crazy. And it was forbidden for her technically.
This was a place of her ancestors. Dragons.
And she saw why her family did not want anyone to go here. They may see it as cursed. A place with a dark background regarding her species.
But since she was already here, she wanted to figure out why it happened. Was it truly the conflict between snakes and China? And what was about this architecture? She never could have imagined a city made within one giant complex with no sky above you, nor a large field to look at. Just these ruins or whatever it was in the past.
When it started raining slightly she didn't bother to wonder how it happens to rain here.
She started to just accept it. She wished her father was here. Someone to back her off, giving her some comfort.
Tigress and the others weren't able to help her in that regard sadly. She wanted them to be as less involved in this as possible for their own sake.
When Viper left the fourth level the entered a beautiful garden.
It was not as wild as the one on the floor. It was a lawn with some sweet flowers and even one little stream of water that floated into the lower level after it left this garden.
There was no way to go further up from here but going over a stone bridge. She wasn't sure about what to think about it. Would it break? There were a few stones already broken or destroyed and the growing plants around it did not made it look healthier.
It surely could hold her weight but Viper was not the most heaviest person in this expedition. But that was nothing she had to warn the others about. When they would come here, they will discuss about how to deal with it.
The strong winds that made their way around between the pillars made various sounds around with everything they touched: Plants, wood, and the endless echo.
Crane really should watch himself when he would be around flying. But he should be aware of that already. After this land, there was nothing to see. No ground. Just dust.
When she looked down she realised a quick and huge shadow above her, more than ten times her own size. She was shocked in this very moment and able to expect anything at this moment.
She was 99% sure she just saw the shadow of what she was about to avoid here. And to made it worse, in her paralysed state she heard that something landing behind her on the garden.
For a moment she didn't move but then she anxiously turned around and looked at a big creature she recognised as a dragon.